The field of the present invention is liquid control systems.
Various means for controlling the flow of liquids into a liquid reservoir exist. One way to achieve such control is to place a float in the liquid reservoir and, when the reservoir is filled to capacity, the float will shut off a valve which otherwise allows the liquid to pass through the valve into the reservoir.
It is often essential that the liquid which passes through the valve be free of particles and other contaminants before it enters the reservoir. Otherwise, the particles might clog the valve, impede the flow of liquid from the reservoir, contaminate or damage a device which receives the liquid from the reservoir or otherwise create harmful results. In some prior applications, the contamination of the reservoir is avoided by forcing the liquid to flow through a valve assembly before entering the reservoir. Any particles or foreign matter are retained by the valve assembly. However, in these prior applications the foreign matter must be removed by turning off the source of the liquid and removing the valve assembly for cleaning.
Turning off the source of the liquid is often very inconvenient. For example, the turn-off valve may be inaccessible, or the liquid source may provide liquid for multiple functions thus requiring the liquid source to be turned off for all functions when the inlet valve assembly is cleaned.
Removing the valve assembly for cleaning is also often inconvenient. In some applications, the valve assembly is difficult to remove because it is not easily accessible. Furthermore, the parts of the valve assembly can be lost or broken upon removal and cleaning. Moreover, certain parts of the valve assembly are difficult to clean even after disassembly, especially the small passages that are usually found in such valves.